Thursday, March 11, 2010

The "Dream Agent"

And I'd like to submit something to you today. So bear with me. No doubt some of you will agree, and some of you won't. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, though, so don't hold back.

Let's go back to my time in the query trenches. Of course I researched and I had agents I thought would be a good match for me. I queried them. And there's nothing like the rush of a request, no matter who it's from.

When I researched Michelle Andelman, I didn't find much. She doesn't run a popular blog. Lynn C. Franklin doesn't have a website (besides PM). She's not giving out query advice on twitter.

I saw that she used to be at Andrea Brown and that she was looking for YA. I added her to my list. Now since I'm a tad on the OCD side (just a tad), I dug deeper. I found interviews she'd given. I may or may not have searched for a picture. I looked up titles she'd sold. I thought, "Yeah, we'd make a good match."

And then I sent her a generic query.

She requested my full, but so did a lot of people that week.

When she emailed me to ask about my other writing, I sat up straighter. I may or may not have searched again for any information about her. I may or may not have friended her on Facebook and Twitter.

When she accepted my requests for friendship, my heart beat a little faster. (That whole first date thing, you know. We were walking in the park.)

I may or may not have stalked her FB and twitter posts. I may or may not have randomly pulled up her picture just to get a feel for the human behind the emails. I cannot confirm nor deny these claims.

But I do know one thing.

Are you ready?

She was not my "dream agent" when I queried her.

She became my dream agent when I read the words, "I love CONTROL ISSUES."

So I submit to you today: Your dream agent is the one who LOVES YOUR BOOK.

Michelle is my absolute dream agent. Not because she listens to funky music (although that is a bonus). Not because the text in her emails is pink (but dude! Pink emails? Love that). Not because in one of our recent convo's I yelled, "Shut. Up!" and she laughed and told me to keep telling her that. (I'm actually a bit embarrassed that I told my agent to shut up, but you know. Seinfeld moment.)

No. None of those things are available on the web. Michelle is my dream agent because she LOVES MY BOOK.

And I didn't know that until 4 months into our relationship.

So I think it's a bit dangerous and damaging (to your psyche) to label agents as "dream" simply because they're out there on the Interwebz and you can see them more prominently. You don't know them. You don't know what their client list is like. You don't know what the editors they've lunched with recently have said. There is absolutely no way for you to know if you'll be a good team until you've had a lot of correspondence with them.

So I think we should drop the term "dream agent."

I do think you should research your brains out and try to find people you think would be a good match for you. But I don't think we should attach a label to people we don't--can't--really know.

What do you think about this? I'm sure you (used to) have a "dream agent." Do you think this is a healthy label to put on someone? Does it hurt more when they reject you? I'm interested to know your thoughts.

You know what Elana? I think you're right. This is like that morning splash of water in my face. :-)Thanks for the reality check!And congrats on finding such an awesome match.But I can't believe you twitter-stalk agents. I would never...uh...yeah. *grin*

LOL When I very first started querying, any agent that seemed interested was my dream agent :D

I don't think we should drop the term entirely, because as you said, after you signed with her and you got to know her and she loved your book, she became your dream agent. I have a similar relationship with my agent. I didn't know much about her. I queried her originally because she stated on her website that she was actively seeking NF books. She became a "wow she's awesome" agent after our first phone call, and now that I've had a chance to work with her, esp through my book sale, I can say without hesitation that she IS my dream agent. :) Because she has been an absolute dream come true :)

This is perfect. When I was in the query trenches, I had dozens of dream agents. One would turn me down, and I'd easily find another.

When I queried my Michelle (because we know all fabulous agents share that name), I loved her upbeat attitude ("make rejection pie!" is her take on the process) and knew she read my genre, but the information I found didn't make me think my work was the absolute perfect fit for her.

Then she responded, telling me how much she loved my story. She got it. She got me. And she's a dream BECAUSE, like you said, she's thrilled with my work.

Such great advice. For so many agents there is very little about them online. They are working hard on their clients' works. Nothing against the ones who blog and twitter and whatever. I appreciate all the advice they give. They're just not the only agents out there worth having. I'm still in the researching agents stage and have been learning this. When I started, I was so naive. It's wonderful to have reminders like this one.

I have to admit that I've had trouble understanding the whole "dream agent" thing as well. Of course, I'm not querying yet so maybe that's part of it. But I completely agree with what you say here. While I expect to do research on agents before I query them, I don't know that I have any preconceived notions about who would be my dream agent. As you say, if they love my book and want to represent it, I'd be happier than a siamese cat in a room full of yarn balls.

When I first started stalking, er browsing, all the agents blogs/sites, I had my top 5 picked pretty quickly. They're witty, fun, offer reat advice, have tons of followers. Then I started a more indepth search and found a handful of agents who do not have a web presence (other than website), but their bio's spelled out exactly what they were looking for. And what they were looking for, is exactly what I've written.

It's so important to really do your homework; don't just vote for the popular kid.

I totally agree with this. I have a HUGE list of agents to query once I decide to jump in the pool. The best agent for me may not be someone that's at the top of my list right now because of all the reasons you pointed out.

An agent may be fabulous but if there's not a great fit with me, then they're still a dream agent -- just not MY dream agent! Thanks for this post. :)

That being said, it IS so important to do the research. I only queried agents that I thought would be a good match, so that if any of them offered, I'd jump on it.

The right fit is really about the feel of something...the agent's feeling about your work, and your feeling about their feeling about your work.

(As a little note to agents...if you have a bit of a web presence...facebook, twitter, blog...whatever...and you let the writing public know a bit about your likes and dislikes, you are probably more likely to be queried by writers who think you might be their match...)

Everything I learned about agents when I was querying, I learned from Querytracker, Literary rambles and various blogs.

I absolutely had agents I was more excited about than others. I knew quite a bit about Sara from Kristin Nelson's blog and I thought she was super cool AND that she must have really great taste, because she had been the gatekeeper for all of Kristin's clients.

The other agent that offered was a bit more under the radar, but she had some awesome sales. In the end I went with gut feeling. They were both excited about the book. I felt pretty confident that either of them could sell it. But Sara was the one I connected with and I kind of had to take a leap of faith because she was brand new to agenting and didn't have any sales of her own yet. But, I'm still certain I made the right choice for me.

I don't think there's much harm in prioritizing agents before we query. There are some "dream agents" that are really awesome. The problem I see is that a lot of people are in love with agents simply because of their web presence. Even if they've been agenting for years and have thousands of followers they still might not have a the sales history or experience to back up their online popularity.

"Dream Agent", a term I'd never seen until three days ago and now this is the fourth time. I'm not trying to be rude here, but I don't really care about the agent person themselves, I care about what they're going to do for me and how I can help them. Of course, that could all change...just sayin, but for now, I'm a credentials shopper.

I agree. I've found it so helpful to research agents and learn about what other books they've represented. And there's the inevitable dreaming that occurs when you query someone. For a second or two, they might be "the dream agent" because we've incorporated them into our dream. But the key is really the right agent. And, lucky us, there are a lot of really great agents out there looking for our best work!

I totally agree with you. Your dream agent shouldn't be the one who landed another writer a six figure deal. He or she should be the one who loves YOUR story. And you won't find out who that is if you only query the one agent. Plus your dream agent is no doubt everyone's dream agent. So chances are good you're going to have a long wait to hear back from her. I speak from experience. :)

Once again, a very timely post. I had a rejection on a partial from one of my "dream agents" yesterday. It hurt. But your post today has pumped me up again and I am ready to get back to querying because everything you said today makes total sense. So, thank you.

The dating analogy is so appropriate in this situation. Sometimes the guy/girl you're swooning over -- they turn out to be not for you. AT ALL. Sometimes the person who's perfect for you is the one you didn't notice right away. At least that's how it happens in movies all the time. Oh, and in my life too. :) Keep an open mind and an open heart at all times. Especically when querying.

You know, I completely agree with you. And I didn't find that out until just this week. After phone calls with two different agents this week, the one who really sang for me was, simply, the one who said she loved my work.

I came about my actual agent in a really weird way. She asked for my full manuscript based on a recommendation from a friend, but hadn't read it when I got an offer from someone else.

When I told her about the offer she sat down to read it--you know, to see if she would be interested as well.

So, I was worried forever that she just offered because of the friend recommendation, and then one day we were talking about a movie my book has a lot of similarities to, and she was telling me how she was living in Japan at the time it came out, and loved it so much she had to like search everywhere for an English copy, etc. and when she read my book with the same kind of feel she was totally in <3 and freaking out that she could rep something like that.

This is a wonderful attitude to have... I haven't pinpointed any "dream agents" as of yet, but after reading this post, I realize I should approach it differently. Prioritize, perhaps, but not get hung up on a few specific people.

You're absolutely right: my dream agent will be the one who loves my work, period.

I have to admit to using the term. But I use it loosely. The dream agents to me are the ones, that after I've researched, seem to be a good fit for my work and have the credentials. But, a good fit is very vague. Because I'm going off phrases like "looking for middle grade humor, reality-based fantasy..." That really doesn't tell me who they are or if we'd work well as a team. So, I know that the "dream agent" can be a total surprise. Someone you'd never have guessed. Congrats on finding yours.

I wholeheartedly agree. A dream agent to me is someone who loves my work. Passion is contagious and therefore it would be ideal to find an agent that is passionate about what you write. I think you hit the nail on the head with this post. Nicely done. Well played. And all that.

It's very true. I'm guilty of course of using the DA phrase...But that's where it really Is like dating! You think you know exactly what you want...then someone comes along, and they are perfect...because they love you.Thanks for pointing this out. It works into sunny Jess-World just fine :D

“Do I love you because you're beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you?" -Oscar Hammerstein

When I finally enter the trenches, I'll be looking for someone who loves my work and believes in it. That is the most important thing to me. Also, it would be nice if they were cool, but I'm pretty sure I won't know about that until much after the fact. I think I'm like you.

I've never understood dream agent. Certainly you want to query agents you believe will be receptive to your book, who will have the passion and drive to sell it to an editor. But how can a complete stranger who's never seen your work be your dream agent?

I think this is a great post. I agree that my agent is my dream agent, but I didn't realize that until we worked together and I saw how much she loved my book and how completely she *got* it. And, how well we meshed together. Great post!

My 'dream agent' was actually my first choice for no 'real' reason - hers was the first blog I read when I began my querying journey! And it did sting, just a little, when she rejected me. And I said fine, I AM NOT READING YOUR BLOG ANYMORE!!!! Did I stop? No, it just felt good to say that to the computer screen. But I agree with you after all I have gone through - the dream agent should be the one who loves your book as much as you and believes in you as a writer. Glad you found yours!

Love this post. And good reminder that not every great agent is out there blogging, tweeting, whatever. Many are, but some are instead busy sending faboo pink e-mails, getting ready to love your book. :)

I think it's okay to have "dream agents" that you think fit you best when you start, but you have to realize that chances are, they will reject you and you have to move on. And it could work out just as well with someone else that you may not have considered. And you are so right. Once you find an agent who loves your story, all the rejections and hopes for signing with a prior agent don't matter. It's hard to realize this truth until you get to the end of your search though.

Lucky for me, she's also my real-life agent. And my hero. Our story was a lot like yours -- I'd read interviews, knew she was legit & enthusiastic, but not until we started talking did I realize how epically I'd lucked out.

a dream is a manifestation of your subconscious... so, no matter where you place the word "dream" in front of another word... it's just a manifestation of your imagination, but hey, what's so wrong with living in dreamland every once in a while? It's great to get lost in fairytales! :)

I went into querying with some definite ideas who I wanted to rep me. Little did I know the one who would bowl me over - and continue to bowl me over - was an agent I'd never heard of. One of my top choices referred me to my now agent and after one conversation on the phone, I was hooked.

My agent IS my dream agent - but I didn't know that until I talked to her. And having communicated with a couple other agents I'd had at the top of my list, I realized they weren't perfect for me.

Thanks, Elana. This is exactly what I needed to read today. I've been in a quandry about whether to keep querying or not because I've exhausted all the agents I know a lot about. But this reminds me that there are wonderful agents out there who don't do a lot of the public stuff like blogging and mass tweeting. They *may* love this book, so I shouldn't give up quite yet. :)

I agree, Elana. I saw an agent talk at a conference a few years ago and thought she was the perfect agent for me. But after reading her blog, I wasn't so sure. Until you've really interacted with people, you don't know how well you'll get along. And until they've seen your work, it's hard to tell how much they'll like it. Writing is so subjective. That's why it's important to research the agents most likely to be a good match, then query them all.

Also, Elana, I wanted to let you know I've awarded you the One Lovely Blog award today! Thanks for your blogging.

I think it's very fair for writers to have a dream agent, the agent they want to fall in love with their book.

I don't think it should be a defining factor of anything or an unhealthy obsession, but I think there is some benefit - however abstract - to signing with an agent you've admired from a distance before the querying trenches.

Great post. This is a great discussion and I agree with the points you have made within it.

I don't have a dream agent or even a dream publisher, but I also am not ready to submit. Started my first novel rewrite ever this year. The only agent I have researched is for a dreaded nonfiction proposal that I did to get my bachelor's degree.

With publishers, and even agents, I don't think I'll have dream ones. However, I'm certain that I want to start at the top when it comes to sending out. Maybe more rejections instead of going with smaller companies but worth the risk.

I don't have a dream agent for this very reason. I've put my soul, sweat, heart, and life on the line for my story. I want the person who's going to see that, love it, and want the same for my baby that I do. So for now, that person's faceless but they won't always be. Yes, I'll do my research and do it well but I'm also not going to rule anyone out just because I can't "see" them yet.

This is such a wonderful post! I do agree to having a few "dream agents" on my to-query list, but you're right. I won't know until I work with them (if ever) whether they're right for me, and the "right" agent is always the one who loves my work and stands behind it whole-heartedly. :)

Marietta (Zacker) came to be my agent by chance. Craig Virden was MY dream agent, the one I desperately wanted, and the one I got! Sadly, he passed only one month after I signed. Prior to that, he'd been working with Marietta for the last 8 months. She called me and became my agent. The day I knew SHE was my dream agent was a few weeks later when she called me out of the blue, for no other reason than just to chat. We talked for an hour. In my case, lightning struck twice.

There are a couple of agents that I would label 'dream agents' or as I prefer, 'the A-Team'. They're all very different and I've given them this status because of different reasons: client lists, blogs, general vibes.

Despite this, I realise that just because I think they're 'cool' they may not dig my book and that someone else might. But you can't blame a girl for wanting to be with an agent who has the most amazing YA authors as his/her clients either.

My query list has a huge range of agents from those that everyone knows to ones who are little more under the radar, and frankly, I'd be happy with anyone on my list.

Ah, this is a very thought provoking post! I just blogged about having crushes on certain agents:) Anyhoo, I do have one in particular that I would love to have (she's a relatively new agent), but you're right...any agent who loves my book will be the one for me.

I have a dream, but it does not involve an agent. I do have to be careful though, because if I get rejected by my dream, I'll be toast. However, this is the first I've mentioned it. I don't focus on it, I don't get irrational over it. I suppose it could be labeled more as a hope rather than a dream. It is a goal, something I know I will accomplish someday.But I do agree... voicing that you have a "Dream Agent/Editor/Publisher" could do damage. Especially if you do not obtain said dream. I wonder how many would give up right then and there?

Well put post, I like what you had to say about the whole dream agent thing.

I really haven't done any agent searching yet myself as I have a few first draft novels that I'm working on revising. I have been doing some blog and twitter reading of agent postings, but I'm waiting to do more research for when I'm closer to having something ready to send queries for.

Awesome post. Except I'm your 84th comment, and maybe you're getting tired of hearing that. I have been thinking in terms of "dream agent" (and me, with an unfinished book) but you make so much sense. Any agent who believes in my book is my dream agent.

Excellent post, Elana. I have had a few fleeting ideas in my head about what my dream agent would be like, but what I really, really want is someone who loves my book enough to be my cheerleader. Also, what agent works well for one person, may not work well for another. People, especially the quirky, writer type ;), are so incredibly different. I hope to find a good match soon!

Omigosh, Elana. I swear sometimes you are just the most brilliant person. Don't run and hide. It's true! And this post is SO true and SO important to remember. There are a lot of fabulous agents out there and you can't get hung up on the idea of who you think your perfect match is going to be. Thanks for the reminder!

This is not to say that everyone is amazing in their own right, but before you really KNOW someone, you have an idealistic view of who that person is. Just because an agent is amazing for one writer does not necessarily mean that agent would be amazing for you. It's like that whole dating thing. Sure that guy across the room is uber-hot and has amazing eyes and is friends with EVERYONE, but that doesn't mean he won't be a complete jerk to you when you finally go out, yanno? And I think it's hard for people to not hold others up on a pedestal sometimes, but it also means you have to know where the line is between reality and your dreams. The cliche doesn't go "in your dreams" for no reason, yanno?

You know what? Thank you so much for that!! because I had a "dream agent" and when she said no, I was crushed. But I am so going to look at it your way.. thanks so much...I hope I can find an agent as amazing and refreshing as yours >=)

This is exactly what I needed to hear today - considering I just received an offer of rep! It's from an agent I wasn't sure about at first, but after talking and then even meeting in person, it just clicked. And hearing the agent talk about my book made it clear this was the perfect match.

I ABSOLUTELY agree! I don't have a 'dream agent' because like you, my 'dream agent' will be the one who loves my book as much (or at least close to as much) as I do. Sure, there have been agents I've queried that I have thought, 'yeah, I like her personality' (on her blog or Twitter) and 'I like her taste in stories'. But I've never labeled anyone as my dream agent because I don't know who that is yet!

On my blog, I'm profiling my writer friend Jocosa of the Earrings and her quest for her dream agent, Donald Maass. She vowed not to cut her hair until her book is published. I'm about to do another update and see how long her hair is!

I really do like this post. You are right about the dream agent thing. The dream agent is the perfect match for me. I don't know who that is but I always find it interesting the people who like my writing. Something to think about.

Oh, Michelle Andeleman is great! She requested a full of one of my upcoming books at Scholastic and gave me some of my first great feedback on it and *love*, but it wasn't quite there for her at that time (*about 3 years ago). Still, she was so sweet and fun to email with. SO I definitely think she's one of those *dream* agents. :-)

Yes, your dream agent MUST LOVE AN ADORE YOUR WORK -

BUT!!! Your dream agent must also have LOTS of editor contacts and be very pro-active in submitting your work. There are some agents who do not do this or have many contacts. Strange, but true.

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